KARACHI: Amid a slowdown in fossil fuel vehicle sales and prevailing political and economic uncertainty, several auto players in the market are set to test the waters by introducing imported electric vehicles (EVs) to gauge demand before establishing local assembly lines.

Sazgar Engineering Works Limited (SEWL) announced in a stock filing on Tuesday that the company is planning to launch a new imported completely built-up (CBU) electric vehicle, ‘ORA-7 EV’, over the next couple of days, with bookings to commence shortly thereafter.

While many assemblers are struggling to sell their petrol- and diesel-driven vehicles, SEWL has gained a competitive edge by selling 5,328 units of HAVAL, with Arif Habib Limited (AHL) forecasting a 58 per cent year-on-year increase in sales to 8,400 units in FY25.

The launch of Toyota Corolla Cross, the upcoming 12th generation Toyota Corolla hybrid sedan, and hybrid and electric models from KIA (Sportage and Sorento), Changan, Chery, and Honda (HR-V) is expected to pose significant challenges to Sazgar’s market dominance.

According to AHL’s forecast for........

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